Conversations with the Warrior of Light
by Meinos Kaen
Summary: A series of short pieces from the POV of various characters from the game, detailing conversations chronicling the journey of the Warrior of Light. [Now up - Mother Miounne]


The Carline Canopy was originally a watermill. Passed by my grandfather to my father, then finished and enlarged by a lalafellin father and daughter: two refugees with the same talent in carpentry who also shared the same fate. It was in their honour and to pass on the spirit of hospitality of my father, who took the two in when everyone in Gridania regarded them with mistrust and hostility, that I turned the structure into the Carline Canopy and joined the Adventurers' Guild.

In my years I have seen people of all races, walks of lives, attitudes and personalities. I've seen clumsy Elezen, shy Roegadyn and boisterous Lalafell.

And of course I've seen plenty of adventurers collapsing into one of the seats of the bar counter after their first day, face hidden in their arms or planted directly against the wood. "Good work, today." It's pretty much a staple for new batches of adventurers and as a rule I always have warm drinks ready for them. The Hyur I was addressing that evening was an amusing mixture of both: his head placed half on his left arm, half on the counter, chestnut hair disheveled and green eyes unfocused until the steaming cup entered his vision.

"Thanks..." He murmured out, cracking a half smile. I pulled back the drink just a couple inches, smiling at him expectantly. He blinked, raising his head from the arm until his eyes lighted up in understanding. "Thanks... Mother." He corrected himself with a smile.

"You're welcome, dear." Only then I presented him with the cup. He grabbed it from my hands with both of his and blew on the heated liquid a few times before taking a large sip.

"Huuu!" He shivered with his whole body, his eyes widening before returning his gaze to the content of the cup. "This is alcoholic?"

"It's a liquor called Centerba. Not too bitter?" He shook his head.

"Just enough to give it a punch." He gave me a small smile and took another sip after a few more seconds of blowing on it. "I've never had something like this before."

"Most of the herbs necessary to make it are native to Gridania." I chuckled and leaned in. He ran his right hand through his hair to put them back into the slicked back style he seemed to favour. "What's your name, dear?"

"Jusso Vachellis." He placed the cup on the counter as he looked at me straight in the eyes while answering.

"Are you a conjurer?" I asked, sparing a glance to the tall staff resting on his back, hanging by straps.

"Yes but conjurer work was the least of my labors today." Jusso grinned, giving his staff a small glance before holding up his right hand, fingers stretched and splayed out. "I refilled censers, delivered letters and toolboxes, gathered rose hips, cleaned the amphitheater..." With each exposed task, he brought down a different finger until only his right thumb remained, and his eyes fell to it. "And yet that wasn't the hardest thing I've had to do today."

"What could have been worse than the smell of pure rose oil?" I chuckled, remembering when a novice had accidentally splashed his clothes with a small amount of it. The poor dear had nausea for the whole day.

"I had to make a girl laugh." My merriment then left place to confusion as he continued, bringing his thumb to rest on top of his other fingers. "Young thing called Aliunne. Do you know her?"

"... Oh." Then it dawned on me, my merriment and confusion disappearing like snow under the sun. Aliunne was a young Elezen girl, one of the many children the calamity had made into orphans. No age or race was spared by such tragedies but Aliunne was one of those hit the worst by it.

She didn't just lose her parents: she saw them die.

"Roped into it by a kid, friend of hers. I tried telling a joke, I made faces... Nothing." He shook his head and grinned. "In the end I went and danced for her."

"You... Danced for her?" He snorted and nodded.

"I'm terrible at dancing. A giant stag on a wet floor would be more graceful than me... And of course, that is what made her laugh." He shrugged his shoulders and my eyes widened at his declaration. Aliunne had actually laughed? She had hardly said a word in five years!

"... Just how bad is your dancing?" I couldn't help but ask, a smile coming to my lips despite myself.

"You have no idea. I can make the confident claim to have utterly and completely humiliated myself. All for a handful of gold." He smiled back and leaned back in his seat, his gaze once again unfocused as he stared ahead. "And yet I feel it was worth it. That's bad..."

"How is that bad?"

"I became an adventurer to gather a fortune." He replied nonchalantly and sighed before bringing the cup of Centerba to his mouth, taking a longer sip now that the mixture had cooled down some. "Selling myself short is bad for business, isn't it?"

"Hmm, maybe. Or you could look at it from another point of view." I smiled. "You're an adventurer who's got no qualms about doing everything in his power to succeed, no matter the task or client. Believe me, there are plenty of adventurers who hit the middle leagues and then refuse to take care of the smaller tasks. Doesn't make those needs disappear, though."

"... With that kind of reasoning I could still be doing the occasional grocery run after killing my first Morbol." Jusso snorted in disbelief but when he met my eyes again there was only mirth in his eyes.

"Or gathering flowers after slaying a Primal." I let myself enjoy a brief laugh at the image. Hey, you're the guy who put to rest a god-like being! Could you fetch those begonias for me? "Still... I think there's merit in not ignoring the small things once you go big. Like fetching, collecting..."

"And children." He finished and sighed, leaning his head backwards and looking at the ceiling, his eyes once again out of focus.

I've seen all slices of humanity passing through the Carlin Canopy, many kinds of adventurers. Only a scarce few ever got that look on their faces though. Every single adventurer has his visions of the job shattered after the first day but only those scarce few come to accept that reality on the same evening and of those, I can remember maybe a dozen who did so with a smile.

"Think you can live with that?" I asked and his eyes found focus again, his face dipping forward to look at me straight in the eyes.

"I guess I could look at it as being extra-professional. Maximum effort for every client and I never quit a job." He grinned and lifted his cup high. "Join me for one of these?"

"Speaking of professionalism, I am still on the job myself, dearie." I chuckled at his proposition and he tilted his head to the left, his grin now a small smile.

"When are you off, then?" Well, wasn't that kind of bold. I hmm-ed, holding my right elbow while I tapped my right cheek with the corresponding hand.

"In a couple hours. Still, wouldn't you rather ask that to Naoh?" I say, pointing with my eyes to my Mi'qote assistant who, in my defense, had been giving the midlander a few more glances than to other patrons. He moved his eyes to follow mine and observed her for a few seconds before returning his eyes to mine.

"I guess I will. Thanks for the tip, mother." He grinned and downed the rest of the centerba in one slow swig before getting up from the stool and walking in Naoh's direction.

That's when I realized he had foreseen I would point him in the direction of someone in the Canopy who had shown interest in him.

I couldn't help but smile widely as I watched him talk with Naoh, her ears standing on attention and tail slowly swishing from side to side. I thought to myself: this person is one to keep an eye on.

I won't boast and say that I foresaw what he'd go on to accomplish from that little exchang. Still, the shrewdness of his, even if applied to flirting, caught my interest and held it in the future days and weeks.

It would go on to catch the eye of many more in the future but I can be proud to say: the Carlin Canopy saw it first.


End file.
